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Greinke chooses Dodgers over Rangers

December 11, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Zach Greinke showed up alone to a mid-November meeting at Dodger Stadium, asking as many questions as he answered. When he left three hours later, the pitcher thought he may have found his new team while the Dodgers brass knew they had to land the top arm on the open market.

They did, signing Greinke to a $147 million, six-year deal that is the richest for a right-hander in history. The Dodgers beat out Texas and the rival Los Angeles Angels, for whom Greinke pitched last season.

His introduction on Tuesday culminated a $183 million spending spree by the Dodgers in which they also signed South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin, who got a $36 million, six-year deal.

Greinke says he decided on the Dodgers because he believes they have a team in place that could win the World Series for several years. He says their offense is as deep as any team in baseball.